Bit.



W. J. B-NGLE.

BIT.

AA PPLIGATION FILED MAY I. 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FIAQAAQ WASHINGTON J". ENGLE, OF BLOOIVIINGDALE, INDIANA.

BIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 1, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

Serial No. 493,315.

T o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WASHINGTON J. ENGLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomingdale, in the county of Parke, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bits; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to bridle bits and more particularly to the class of emergency bridle bits for use with animals either for riding or driving purposes.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a bridle bit in which the jaw of the animal may be sufficiently punished in event of an attempt by the said animal to run away so that at all times the animal is under perfect control of a teamster.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a bridle bit of this character which is inactive under normal conditions when used while driving or riding an animal but otherwise will be brought into action to punish the jaw of the animal in event of an attempt at viciousness or refractory performance by the animal.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a bridle bit which is simple in construction, thoroughly reliable and etlicient in its operation, one that is under perfect control of a teamster, and may be manufactured at a minimum expense.

In the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification is illustrated the preferred form of embodiment of the invention, which to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, will be set forth at length in the following description, while the novelty of the invention will be brought out in the claim hereunto appended.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of a bridle bit constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a further top plan view with the movable clamping elements in shifted position. Fig. 5 is a front elevation.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

In the drawings the numeral 8, designates a hollow tubular mouth piece which is preferably a straight metallic bar having open opposite extremities and to these extremities are xed cheek sections or pieces 9, the same being preferably circular in form with centrally located struts 10, rigidly secured to the said bar and to these cheek sections or pieces are connected the supporting straps of a head stall of an ordinary bridle.

Projecting outwardly from the outer faces of the struts 10, to one side of the axis of the mouth piece 8, are spaced alining ears 11, between which are mounted by means of pivots 12, swinging jaw` engaging or clamping levers 13, the same being of curved formation to provide inwardly converging inner gripping terminals 14, which latter project through suitable elongated openings contained in the struts 10 to normally lie inside of the cheek sections or pieces 9, and also to enable the said terminals 14, to be moved toward each other for engaging and clamping the lower jaw of an animal when emergency requires the inflicting of punishment to the animal.

Within the hollow mouth piece 8, is arranged a coiled retraotile device 15, the opposite eye extremities 16 of which are connected to hook members 17, secured to the levers 13, at their inner faces and this device 15, normally holds the gripping terminals 14, in contact with the inner surfaces of the cheek sections or pieces 9, thus maintaining the clamping levers inactive and out of clamping engagement with the lower jaw of an animal.

Formed integral with the levers 13, at their outer free ends are right angularly disposed loops 18, to which are adjustably connected pull straps 19, the same loosely passing through fixed loops or guide eyes 20, on the cheek sections or pieces v9, and these pull straps carry rein rings 21, to which are adapted to be connected the usual driving reins (not shown).

From the foregoin description, the construction and operation of the bridle bit will be clear taken in connection with the drawings without the necessity of a more extended explanation and therefore the same has been omitted.

What is claimed is g- A bit comprising a hollow tubular mouth piece, cheek sections rigidly xed to opposite ends of said mouth piece gripping levers pivotd at the outer Sides of the cheek sections and being normally sulostantially7 parallel with the latter, vulde loops rigid with said Cheek seeis, @sible p11-11mmbers connected to the levers and working through the' loops to move the free ends of said levers inwardly beyond the l the sections, and a spring located within the tubular mouth piece and having oonaneI of l neet-ion with the levers to normally hold the 10 same in substantial parallelism with the cheek sections.

In testimony whereof, I aix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WASHINGTON J. ENGLE. Witnesses:

JosrH L. SWAIM, WILLIAM N. Cox. 

